Study on the water footprint and external water dependency of Beijing

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1077-1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanzhi Sun ◽  
Lei Shen ◽  
Chunxia Lu

Beijing has experienced rapid economic development and population growth during recent decades, aggravating water scarcity. In order to investigate the water consumption of Beijing, this paper quantitatively evaluates the water footprint (WF), the intensity of the water footprint (Iwf) and the external water dependency (WD) based on the top-down and bottom-up methods. We obtain the following major conclusions: (1) the total WF in Beijing is 353 108 m³ in 2012; per capita WF is 1,704 m³, which is 8 times that of the entity water of Beijing; (2) the Iwf in Beijing rises after 2007, indicating that there remains a great potential for improving water-use efficiency; (3) through virtual water trade, the external WF takes over 70% of the total WF annually; therefore, Beijing has faced more severe water resource stress recently; (4) through the spatial analysis of external WD, we identify that in each side of the Hu line, distribution of distance of the flow of imported virtual water shows homogeneity, and that WD in the southeast region is high and in the northwest is weak.

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 472-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiefeng Kang ◽  
Jianyi Lin ◽  
Shenghui Cui ◽  
Xiangyang Li

Providing a comprehensive insight, water footprint (WF) is widely used to analyze and address water-use issues. In this study, a hybrid of bottom-up and top-down methods is applied to calculate, from production and consumption perspectives, the WF for Xiamen city from 2001 to 2012. Results show that the average production WF of Xiamen was 881.75 Mm3/year and remained relatively stable during the study period, while the consumption WF of Xiamen increased from 979.56 Mm3/year to 1,664.97 Mm3/year over the study period. Xiamen thus became a net importer of virtual water since 2001. Livestock was the largest contributor to the total WF from both production and consumption perspectives; it was followed by crops, industry, household use, and commerce. The efficiency of the production WF has increased in Xiamen, and its per capita consumption WF was relatively low. The city faces continuing growth in its consumption WF, so more attention should be paid to improving local irrigation, reducing food waste, and importing water-intensive agricultural products.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 3007-3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Rushforth ◽  
Benjamin L. Ruddell

Abstract. This paper quantifies and maps a spatially detailed and economically complete blue water footprint for the United States, utilizing the National Water Economy Database version 1.1 (NWED). NWED utilizes multiple mesoscale (county-level) federal data resources from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), the US Department of Energy (USDOE), and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to quantify water use, economic trade, and commodity flows to construct this water footprint. Results corroborate previous studies in both the magnitude of the US water footprint (F) and in the observed pattern of virtual water flows. Four virtual water accounting scenarios were developed with minimum (Min), median (Med), and maximum (Max) consumptive use scenarios and a withdrawal-based scenario. The median water footprint (FCUMed) of the US is 181 966 Mm3 (FWithdrawal: 400 844 Mm3; FCUMax: 222 144 Mm3; FCUMin: 61 117 Mm3) and the median per capita water footprint (FCUMed′) of the US is 589 m3 per capita (FWithdrawal′: 1298 m3 per capita; FCUMax′: 720 m3 per capita; FCUMin′: 198 m3 per capita). The US hydroeconomic network is centered on cities. Approximately 58 % of US water consumption is for direct and indirect use by cities. Further, the water footprint of agriculture and livestock is 93 % of the total US blue water footprint, and is dominated by irrigated agriculture in the western US. The water footprint of the industrial, domestic, and power economic sectors is centered on population centers, while the water footprint of the mining sector is highly dependent on the location of mineral resources. Owing to uncertainty in consumptive use coefficients alone, the mesoscale blue water footprint uncertainty ranges from 63 to over 99 % depending on location. Harmonized region-specific, economic-sector-specific consumption coefficients are necessary to reduce water footprint uncertainties and to better understand the human economy's water use impact on the hydrosphere.


2013 ◽  
Vol 295-298 ◽  
pp. 964-969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su Ling Liu ◽  
Yu Xin Wang ◽  
Xiao Hui Mao

The water footprint and consumption pattern is an effective tool for quantitifying the volume of water resources consumption in certain region [ ].Shunyi’s water footprint in the period 2006-2010 is calculated in this article from the view of virtual water. The general water footprint in Shunyi District at the year 2010 reached 790 million m3 and water footprint per capita was 536.48 cubic meters. Shunyi 's water resource quantity per capita was 501.27 m3 in the same year and the Water Scarcity Index was 1.98. The result of calculation shows that the water resource volume of exploitation in Shunyi District of Beijing has been beyond the water resources carrying capacity.


2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Bulsink ◽  
A. Y. Hoekstra ◽  
M. J. Booij

Abstract. National water use accounts are generally limited to statistics on water withdrawals in the different sectors of economy. They are restricted to "blue water accounts" related to production, thus excluding (a) "green" and "grey water accounts", (b) accounts of internal and international virtual water flows and (c) water accounts related to consumption. This paper shows how national water-use accounts can be extended through an example for Indonesia. The study quantifies interprovincial virtual water flows related to trade in crop products and assesses the green, blue and grey water footprint related to the consumption of crop products per Indonesian province. The study shows that the average water footprint in Indonesia insofar related to consumption of crop products is 1131 m3/cap/yr, but provincial water footprints vary between 859 and 1895 m3/cap/yr. Java, the most water-scarce island, has a net virtual water import and the most significant external water footprint. This large external water footprint is relieving the water scarcity on this island. Trade will remain necessary to supply food to the most densely populated areas where water scarcity is highest (Java).


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 86-96
Author(s):  
Purwana Satriyo ◽  
Hidayat Pawitan ◽  
Yanuar J Purwanto ◽  
Yayat Hidayat

Water is one the most important natural resources to maintain human life and all other living things in the earth. Around 65% water were consumed for drinking purpose, while others were used for daily needs. The increasing amount of work on water use and scarcity in relation to consumption and trade has led to the emergence of the field of Water Footprint (WF). Climate change, rural development, world population growth and industrialization have placed considerable stress on the local availability of water resources. Thus, it is necessary to perform study in order to analyze water demands and supply for sustainable water availability. Recently, water footprint analysis has been widely draw attention to the scientists and engineers. The water footprint analysis is closely related with virtual water from which it is defined as total water volume used for consumption and trade. The main aim of this present study is to analyze and assess the total water requirement based on community water footprint in Krueng Aceh watershed area. The virtual water used in this study are dominant consumption food commodities. The result shows that water footprint per capita in Krueng Aceh watershed area was 674.52 m3/year. Water footprint for rural and urban population were 608.27 m3/year and 740.77 m3/year respectively. The WF of food consumption in urban area of Krueng Aceh watershed is 690.74 m3 / capita / year and 584.22 m3/capita/year or average 625.69 m3/capita/year, while for non-food, the WF per capita is 24.05 m3/year in rural or 32.46% of the total water footprint. Non-food consumption per capita in Krueng Aceh and in urban areas is 50.03 m3/year or 67.53%. The total water demand based on the water footprint is 378,906,655.05 m3 in 2015 which is consumed by most of residents in the Krueng Aceh watershed area. Furthermore, total WF in rural and urban area are 193,489,128.95 m3 and 185,417,526.10 m3 respectively.


2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 3969-3982 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Konar ◽  
K. K. Caylor

Abstract. A debate has long existed on the relationships between human population, natural resources, and development. Recent research has expanded this debate to include the impacts of trade; specifically, virtual water trade, or the water footprint of traded commodities. We conduct an empirical analysis of the relationships between virtual water trade, population, and development in Africa. We find that increases in virtual water imports do not lead to increases in population growth nor do they diminish human welfare. We establish a new index of virtual water trade openness and show that levels of undernourishment tend to fall with increased values of virtual water trade openness. Countries with small dam storage capacity obtain a higher fraction of their agricultural water requirements from external sources, which may indicate implicit "infrastructure sharing" across nations. Globally, increased crop exports tend to correlate with increased crop water use efficiency, though this relationship does not hold for Africa. However, internal African trade is much more efficient in terms of embodied water resources than any other region in the world. Thus, internal African trade patterns may be compensating for poor internal production systems.


Resources ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iulia Dolganova ◽  
Natalia Mikosch ◽  
Markus Berger ◽  
Montserrat Núñez ◽  
Andrea Müller-Frank ◽  
...  

This study investigates the Water Footprint (WF) resulting from the agricultural imports of the European Union (EU-28). Import trade statistics were compiled and linked with crop- and country-specific water consumption data and water scarcity factors. Within the study, the virtual water imports of 104 agricultural commodities for the baseline year 2015 were assessed and product and country hotspots were evaluated. It was shown that (a) Europe imported 100 million tons of agricultural goods and 11 km3 of associated virtual irrigation water; (b) the highest impacts of water consumption do not necessarily result from high import amounts, but from water-intensive goods produced in water scarce countries; (c) the largest external EU-28 water footprint occurred due to the product categories cotton, nuts and rice; and (d) the highest share of the EU external water footprint took place in the United States (US), Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and India.


2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 5115-5137 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Bulsink ◽  
A. Y. Hoekstra ◽  
M. J. Booij

Abstract. National water use accounts are generally limited to statistics on water withdrawals in the different sectors of economy. They are restricted to "blue water accounts" related to production, thus excluding (a) "green" and "grey water accounts", (b) accounts of internal and international virtual water flows and (c) water accounts related to consumption. This paper shows how national water-use accounts can be extended through an example for Indonesia. The study quantifies interprovincial virtual water flows related to trade in crop products and assesses the green, blue and grey water footprint related to the consumption of crop products per Indonesian province. The study shows that the average water footprint in Indonesia insofar related to consumption of crop products is 1131 m3/cap/yr, but provincial water footprints vary between 859 and 1895 m3/cap/yr. Java, the most water-scarce island, has a net virtual water import and the most significant external water footprint. This large external water footprint is releasing the water scarcity on this island. There are two alternative routes to reduce the overall water footprint of Indonesia. On the one hand, it may be reduced by promoting wise crop trade between provinces – i.e. trade from places with high to places with low water efficiency. On the other hand, the water footprint can be reduced by improving water efficiency in those places that currently have relatively low efficiency, which equalises production efficiencies and thus reduces the need for imports and enhances the opportunities for exports. In any case, trade will remain necessary to supply food to the most densely populated areas where water scarcity is highest (Java).


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 7291-7324
Author(s):  
M. Konar ◽  
K. Caylor

Abstract. A debate has long existed on the relationships between human population, natural resources, and development. Recent research has expanded this debate to include the impacts of trade; specifically, virtual water trade, or the water footprint of traded commodities. We conduct an empirical analysis of the relationships between virtual water trade, population, and development in Africa. We find that increases in virtual water imports do not lead to increases in population growth nor do they diminish human welfare. We establish a new index of virtual water trade openness and show that levels of undernourishment tend to fall with increased values of virtual water trade openness. Countries with small dam storage capacity obtain a higher fraction of their agricultural water requirements from external sources, which may indicate implicit "infrastructure sharing" across nations. Globally, increased crop exports tends to correlate with increased crop water use efficiency, though this relationship does not hold for Africa. However, internal African trade is much more efficient in terms of embodied water resources than any other region in the world. Thus, internal African trade patterns may be compensating for poor internal production systems.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 810
Author(s):  
Yang Liu ◽  
Jianyi Lin ◽  
Huimei Li ◽  
Ruogu Huang ◽  
Hui Han

The water footprint (WF) vividly links water resources with virtual water of food, providing a novel perspective on food demand and water resources management. This study estimates the per capita WF of food consumption for six provinces in North China. Then, the study applies the logarithmic mean Divisia index method to decompose the driving forces of their WF changes. Results show that the per capita WF of food consumption in Beijing, Tianjin, and Inner Mongolia increases significantly in 2005–2017, whereas that in the other three provinces in North China varies slightly. All provinces have shown the same trend of food structure changes: the grain decreased, whereas the meat increased. In general, the urban effect was positive, and the rural effect was negative for all regions. The urban effects in Beijing and Tianjin played a leading role, whereas the rural effects in the other four provinces played a leading role from 2005–2009. However, the urban effects in all provinces played a leading role in 2010–2017. The WF efficiency increased in each province, and the effect in urban areas is stronger due to the higher water use efficiency. For most provinces, the consumption structure was positive because the diet shifted toward more meat consumption. The food consumption per capita effect was the major driving force in Beijing and Tianjin due to the increased consumption level, whereas the population proportion effect exerted a weak effect. To alleviate the pressure on water resources, further improving water use efficiency in food production and changing the planting structure should be emphasized for all regions in North China.


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